BMW debuts the Concept i4

German car giant BMW recently unveiled its latest concept EV, called the Concept i4. The unveiling of the i4 was intended to take place at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, however, the event was cancelled due to scares over a potential coronavirus outbreak, forcing BMW to showcase their new EV online.

BMW says the Concept i4 provides customers with a look ahead to the BMW i4 that is scheduled to go into production in 2021.

The concept i4 is an all-electric, four-door Grand coupe that BMW describes as “brimming with elegance and dynamism.” The vehicle features an estimated range of 434 kilometres and a WLTP range (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) of 600km. The total kilowatt output of the Concept i4 is 395 KW and will accelerate the EV from 0 to 100km in a blistering 4 seconds. However, it remains to seen if these exact figures will translate into the production of the i4 in 2021.

As for the aesthetics of the Concept i4, it certainly resembles what cars of the future might look like and is a far cry from BMW’s oddly shaped i3. The overall styling of the Concept i4 looks relatively close to being ‘production-ready’, although it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see BMW remove the bright blue detailing around the grill and faux exhaust outlets. The interior on the other hand still appears to be stuck in ‘concept mode’. Don’t expect to the same airy and minimalistic design in the final BMW i4 design.

The Concept i4, and the subsequent announcement of the i4 going into production, builds upon BMW’s earlier announcement that the company will make significant investments in electrification.

In November of 2019, BMW announced that they will be investing more than R169 billion (€10 billion euros) on battery cells from Contemporary Amperex Technology Co, a Chinese battery-cell manufacturer in a deal that will see the two companies working together from 2020 to 2031.